Now and Then: Freshman Year
by Riley-Mae Nyxinn
Summary: Roberta has fallen for Scott Wormer and a relationship is starting to form which causes much drama. Then, Samantha's writing leads the girls to question their friendship. Will it all end in Shelby, Indiana? R&R please!
1. 01 Questionable Actions

01-Questionable Actions  
  
"I really don't understand exactly why you like him Roberta." Teeny complained. Teeny and Samantha nodded with approval. "He's a Wormer. We've hated the Wormer's since I can't remember. I only give them credit for giving me the idea of pudding filled water balloons for my breasts."  
  
Roberta shook her head.  
  
"We're in high school now. I say the only sign we have of childhood is this tree house." Samantha said looking around at the tree house they still had. They were all sitting inside trying to argue Roberta out of going on a date with Scott Wormer. He had asked Roberta out on a date one week into the school year.  
  
"There really is nothing wrong with him." Roberta said.  
  
Chrissy started to remember the image of her eating a Twinkie on the asphalt in front of Roberta's garage as Scott Wormer actually acted politely to them for the first time. He even bowed down to them! Then he walked away with a sort of smirk on his face leaving Roberta in a suspicious position about her relationship with Scott Wormer with her friends ever since then.  
  
Ever since then he's always been nice to the girls despite the fact that his brothers thought he was a freak. He acted like he didn't care and he smiled a lot to Roberta who smiled back almost every time except when they gave her the eye.  
  
"He just wants to bring me on a date, all right? It's nothing big. We're not even together." Roberta replied as her best friends looked at her suspiciously. It was the same look they've been giving her for 2 years. Roberta quickly remembered how she never told them about how she kissed him that night. And she didn't plan on telling them any time soon.  
  
"I say even though it is Scott Wormer and I totally object to ever liking him we should give Roberta a chance with him. I always felt sympathy for those in love." Teeny said in a movie star way her eyes twinkling.  
  
"I'm NOT in love with him." Roberta said confidently.  
  
"That's questionable." Samantha said.  
  
"Yeah. He doesn't even signal everyone to move in when you play softball with them anymore." Chrissy reminded her friend.  
  
"Go eat a cow." Roberta spat back.  
  
"Shut up Roberta!" Chrissy said her eyes narrowing.  
  
Teeny and Samantha giggled.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Roberta slammed her locker door holding a card and a rose in her hand. It was a beautiful, fresh, red rose and she felt a little odd holding. She unzipped her bag and stuffed it in not knowing exactly why students passing by were looking at her oddly. She opened the card and read:  
  
Roberta,  
  
Meet me at the Hard Rock Café at 8:00 PM for dinner. After, I'll take you somewhere special. I hope you'll come. I'm looking forward to our date.  
  
SW  
  
"What's that?" Teeny asked Roberta as she came up from behind.  
  
"Ah!" Roberta squealed. "Don't do that!"  
  
Teeny giggled. "Sorry. Let me see."  
  
"No. I won't let you." Roberta said putting it behind her back.  
  
"Come on! Why not?" Teeny begged helplessly.  
  
"You'll laugh." Roberta said plainly.  
  
"No I won't. I promise." Teeny said holding up crossed fingers.  
  
"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Roberta said handing her the card. Teeny opened it and read it quickly.  
  
"How sweet! I think I'll pay a visit to the Café tonight." Teeny said smiling.  
  
"I hate you Teeny." Roberta said putting the card into her backpack.  
  
"I know." Teeny snickered. "Look." Roberta turned around to see Scott Wormer walking down the hall with his friends. Because his brothers were younger than him they weren't at Shelby High School so he found a new group of friends to hang out with. But, at the moment he was unaccompanied and all the girls in the hall started to whisper as he passed. Roberta's heart started pumping rapidly and she suddenly felt nervous and unable to look away.  
  
"Hey Roberta." Scott said as he stopped in front of her.  
  
"He- hey." Roberta said nervously.  
  
Teeny giggled uncontrollably. 


	2. 02 Forgive and Forget

02-Forgive and Forget  
  
Smack!  
  
Roberta punched Scott in the face no sooner had his lips left hers.  
  
Teeny squealed behind her and there were "Oh"s and "Ah"s heard down the hall.  
  
"What was that for?!" Scott questioned aloud for everyone to hear.  
  
"Why did you kiss me?!" Roberta answered laying out her own question. "You could have had asked first!"  
  
There were various statements whispered throughout the hall such as "Why would he ask first?!" and "It's Scott Wormer! Who needs asking?!"  
  
"I don't know. Was I supposed to ask?" Scott said his eyes widening and his tone of voice dropping.  
  
"YES SCOTT! I'm not a little tramp like other girls! I'm lucky enough you haven't kissed anyone else! Don't take me as a girl who just lets guys kiss her without asking! I'm not a little slut!" Roberta screamed. She readjusted her bag on her back and turned around to Teeny. "Bye." She walked down the hall not saying a word and not caring about the people looking at her and whispering about her right in her face.  
  
"I don't get it. Why do I have to ask?" Scott asked Teeny back at Roberta's locker not remembering the night at Roberta's house when he actually did ask. But, she did threaten him about not telling anyone.  
  
"You need to understand her Scott. She's not like normal girls. Roberta's her own person and no matter what people say about her she'll never change. Not even you could change her." And with that Teeny walked away after Roberta feeling very proud about what she just said. "I can definitely make it in the show-biz."   
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Roberta sat nervously next to Chrissy in her Biology class. She was tempted to look to her left where Scott Wormer sat with his friend Josh Richmond but she didn't even budge.  
  
"I'm better than that. You don't need him." She told herself confidently.  
  
Suddenly a piece of folded paper was tossed on the desk in front of her. She finally turned to her left to find that Scott wasn't looking at her. But, she knew it was from him. She turned to her right to Chrissy who was shaking her head with disapproval but she picked up the note anyways and unfolded it. Chrissy gave an annoying grunt and put her attention back to Ms. Turner who was now giving the class a long talk about salamanders.  
  
~I hope you're not mad at me. I really didn't know that you wanted me to ask if it was okay to kiss you.~  
  
It was Scott. Roberta knew the instant she saw his scribbly writing. She thought for a while if she should even write back and decided that she would. Then she thought what she would say back. She didn't want to make him feel low but wanted him to recognize his mistake. Finally she thought of something that would make her decision easy for him to understand. She picked up her pen and started writing on the paper.  
  
~I'm not really mad at you, Scott. I just thought that you knew that I wasn't like other girls. Like I said in the hall. Plus, we're not even together.~  
  
She folded up the piece of paper and threw it back at him while Ms. Turner wrote notes about salamanders on the whiteboard.  
  
It didn't take long for Scott to reply back.  
  
~Well, I hope you know that I'm sorry. I hope you're still going to the Café tonight. ~  
  
When Roberta read that she didn't know what to do. Moreover she had totally forgotten about the Café. She knew she still wanted to go but wasn't sure if it was the right choice to make; especially right after he had kissed her. But, she knew he was sorry and remembered that she didn't want to make him feel low. And not going on this date with him would definitely make him feel low. So, she decided she should go with him tonight.  
  
"Just don't sit on the same side of the booth at the Café." Roberta promised herself.  
  
~I'm still going. I'll meet you there at 8:00 like you said in the card. ~  
  
After he read the note Roberta saw from the corner of her eye that he was picking up his pen to write back with. But then ring! The bell for 2nd period rang and Roberta was actually happy that her next class wasn't with Scott. But, she did worry about Teeny smiling at her all through Algebra I.  
  
Scott stuffed the note into his binder and headed out the door after Roberta. Their shoulders met as they both exited at the same time and they turned to each other. They both smiled nervously and then walked into the hall separate ways. 


	3. 03 The First Date

03-The First Date  
  
"Please?!" Teeny begged helplessly.  
  
Samantha rolled her eyes and Chrissy continued to devour her bag of Doritos.  
  
"No, Teeny! I told you already. There is no way in hell!" Roberta said starting to get really annoyed.  
  
The whole way home Teeny begged and begged and begged. Roberta became thoroughly irate.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"What is that stuff?" Roberta asked Teeny as the midst of the hair spray vanished in front of Roberta.  
  
"Hair spray, Roberta. How clueless are you?" Teeny questioned.  
  
"Shut up, Teeny. I know more than you think I do, you know. I don't understand why exactly you're putting hair spray in my hair?" Roberta asked.  
  
"So, you're hair holds up. You don't think that you were going to impress Scott with your plain, straight, black hair, did you?" Teeny asked, continuing the endless list of questions.  
  
"You already put in massive amounts of hair gel. And I obviously impressed him enough without all this crap in my hair." Roberta shot back.  
  
Teeny ignored Roberta's remark. "Done." She smiled.  
  
"I don't even want to look." Roberta said crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"Sam! Chrissy! Get in here!" Roberta called out.  
  
Samantha and Chrissy made their way into the room. The moment they're eyes laid on Roberta they widened. Roberta led herself to believe that Teeny had either applied way too much mascara or that her hair had turned afro puff.  
  
"Whoa! You better take a look in the mirror, Roberta." Samantha said, eyes still bulging.  
  
Chrissy just shook her head in surprise.  
  
Roberta couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't believe that she looked at any point what anyone would call beautiful.until she looked into the mirror.  
  
She was wearing a white, round-collared blouse that blended in once it dropped down to a plaid mini-skirt Teeny had her wear. She regretted even putting on the skirt earlier but now she agreed with Teeny that it didn't look as sluttish as she thought. She had on a silver chain bracelet that Chrissy gave her on her 12th birthday and a silver heart locket where she kept her mom's picture. She decided that the plain white shoes she wore didn't clash with anything and that Samantha's red sweater made it all complete. And what Teeny had done to her hair wasn't as bad as she thought it was. Teeny had curled selected top layers of Roberta's hair and flared out the bottom of all else. It looked, for lack of better words, beautiful.  
  
"Oh.my.gosh!" Roberta squealed.  
  
"You like?" Teeny asked smiling in spite of herself.  
  
"It looks great, Teeny. Thanks." Roberta said looking at her friend.  
  
"I knew you would never deny my genius." Teeny bragged.  
  
Roberta, Chrissy, and Samantha smiled.  
  
"Now we have to get going. It's already 7:30." Teeny said.  
  
They all grabbed their coats and started walking towards the Café. The whole way there Teeny lectured on how to act, what to say, when to talk, and when not to talk. Samantha warned about it being some kind of a Wormer revenge date and Chrissy reminded Roberta about never kissing on the first date.  
  
"You guys, I'll be fine." Roberta finally said.  
  
"Sorry." They all said.  
  
"Look, there he is." Samantha said, her eyes looking towards the front of the Café.  
  
Roberta turned and saw Scott Wormer standing in front of the Café. Immediately her heart started to beat uncontrollably and she felt her face turn hot.  
  
"I th-think I'm too dressed up." Roberta said, starting to freak out.  
  
"Lame excuse of the century, Roberta. You're going over there." Teeny said starting to back away from Roberta.  
  
Roberta opened her mouth to say something but Teeny interrupted her.  
  
"No. You have to go Roberta. Look at him. He's waiting for you." Teeny said and she looked at Samantha and Chrissy. They both looked at her and nodded. "Scott!" Teeny shouted out towards the Café. They ran.  
  
Roberta freaked and turned around to see Scott looking right at her. He waved at her and she waved back nervously. She felt someone push her from behind. As she turned around she saw Samantha running off. She turned back around and walked towards the Café.  
  
"Hi Roberta. You look gorgeous." Scott said.  
  
The words sounded a little odd coming out of his mouth yet they sounded sweet at the same time.  
  
"Hi. Thanks. You look." she hesitated. ".good."  
  
"Thanks. This is for you." And he pulled a red rose out from behind him.  
  
"It's beautiful. I love red roses." Roberta said holding it delicately close to her, smiling.  
  
"I'm glad I could make you smile." They were silent. "Uh, let's go inside." He suggested and he opened the door for her to walk into.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Roberta took a sip from her root beer float. For the past 45 minutes they had eaten their dinner and talked about the unbelievable. Roberta knew Chrissy, Teeny, and Samantha would never believe her. Turned out that Scott liked to read science fiction just like Samantha and he secretly liked romantic films just like Teeny. They reminisced about when they used to hate each other and the day Scott and his brothers ran around naked.  
  
"That was so embarrassing." Scott laughed.  
  
"We couldn't stop laughing about that for a week." Roberta smiled.  
  
They both tried to calm down and then eventually caught their breaths.  
  
"Roberta?" Scott sounded a little serious and Roberta started to freak out again.  
  
I was just starting to get comfortable around you, Scott. She thought to herself.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Remember." Scott started.  
  
Don't say it.  
  
"Remember.the day we kissed?"  
  
NO!  
  
"Uh.yeah. I remember."  
  
Not taking into consideration the day's earlier events he leaned in. 


	4. 04 New Situations Arise

04-(unnamed)  
  
"Then?" Chrissy waited anxiously for Roberta's response.  
  
"He kissed me." Roberta said, cheeks rose red.  
  
Chrissy frowned.  
  
"Ahh!!!" Teeny screamed. "How cute!"  
  
"Don't do that, Teeny." Roberta said.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
Roberta imitated Teeny's prissy-ness.  
  
"Sorry. It's just really.wow!" Teeny lost her words.  
  
"Oh gosh." Samantha said and she buried her head into her book again.  
  
"It felt kind of weird though." Roberta formed wrinkles on her forehead.  
  
"Why? Did he have chapped lips? Did he try to put his tongue in your mouth? Did his breath smell?" Teeny asked question after question.  
  
"No, Teeny. Will you calm down please?" Roberta said, getting annoyed again. Teeny calmed down still unable to stay in one spot. "It just felt weird. Like, it was so plain."  
  
"How could it of had been plain? It was a kiss!" Teeny said giving out again.  
  
"I don't know." Roberta said letting herself drift into a mantle of thoughts.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Roberta got up at 7:00 Monday morning and sat in bed for a good 10 minutes liked she'd done all weekend. She lay in her bed and thought endlessly of why she didn't react to Scott's kiss and why the kiss felt like it had no meaning. She wondered if she should even start a relationship with Scott. Maybe it wouldn't turn out how she'd been imagining it to.  
  
Roberta took a deep breath and got dressed. She remembered that she hadn't finished her Algebra 1 homework so she had to be quick getting ready. She thought to herself as she was getting ready.  
  
I'm such a freak. I always imagine myself to be someone that I'm not and I always compete against the person that I look at myself to be. It's not ever going to be like that. There's no point in trying to compete with who I want to be anyways. Doesn't Scott like me for who I am and not someone that I imagine myself to be? Doesn't he like me for me? But, what if Scott is just a mistake waiting to happen? What if I get with him I regret everything that I have led myself to believe about a relationship with Scott? I'm so confused.  
  
Roberta led herself to believe that everything wasn't going picture perfect anymore. She put her straight, plain, black hair into a low ponytail and grabbed her bag.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Teeny! Roberta! Chrissy!"  
  
Roberta, Teeny, and Chrissy turned around to find Samantha running towards them from across the street. She ran across the courtyard towards them holding a piece of paper in her hands. As she ran up the three steps to get to the girls she tripped and people around laughed. She didn't care and just caught her breath before she got her words out.  
  
"Look!" Teeny said both, exhausted and excited.  
  
It was weird to see Teeny in such a hyper moon considering the fact that she had her head buried in books lately.  
  
Roberta unfolded the paper and read:  
  
Dear Samantha,  
  
This is Natalie Harper writing from The New York Times. I am writing regarding The New York Times Writing Inspiration for Young Adults. You entered the competition 9 months ago sending in a 326 page, 22 chapter, Science-Fiction story.  
  
I am pleased to inform you that you have won in the area of Science-Fiction along with a reward of $25,000! Congratulations!  
  
The New York Times has invited you, your parents, and 4 friends to come to Manhattan and stay at The Plaza for a 3-week stay from October 1-October 21. The flight will be paid for as well as the room accommodations. You will be staying at The Plaza's finest room: The Presidential Suite.  
  
The only possible way you can receive your award and the reward money is if you send in the form containing all information with your parents' signature(s). The form must be sent along with your parents' signature(s) by September 23rd.  
  
Samantha, you have a change at a full time job here in Manhattan with the New York Times. If you accept when/if you come down here you can be a book reviewer for young adults in the Science-Fiction area. If turn down this offer we will not be disappointed of course considering your location and ours. It would be a large change in your life-style.  
  
Congratulations again and we await your response by mail.  
  
With much congratulations,  
  
Natalie Harper President of The New York Times Young Adults Office  
  
Roberta, Teeny, and Chrissy looked up at Samantha who was still breathing deeply. Immediately she started throwing words out of her mouth.  
  
"I didn't know until this morning when I found it on my drawer. I must have had missed it since we came home so late from the movies. It opened it and read that and freaked out! Do you know what this means?! We're going to New York! There is no way your parents won't let us go. You guys have to go!"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down Sam." Teeny said patting her friend on the shoulders.  
  
"Aren't you guys happy for me?" Samantha asked a little disappointed.  
  
"Of course we are!" Roberta said, not about to let Samantha get a wrong impression on how they felt about the situation.  
  
"Then come with me to New York! My parents already said I could go. They signed the form." Samantha said pulling out the form and showing it to them.  
  
They all just stared at her. 


	5. 05 Never Left Behind

05-Never Left Behind  
  
After the that little scene in the courtyard of Shelby High School Samantha had walked away from her friends considering their wordless stares to define disloyalty and disbelief. They had all seen her in class because they all had a class with one another at one point or another in the day. But, Samantha looked more concentrated on her work than normal. At lunch she was no where to be seen and when Roberta, Teeny, and Chrissy waited for her after school they realized they had just wasted a whole half hour of their lives.  
  
"You guys think she's taking this too seriously? We really didn't say anything. Literally." Teeny said, scared and shaky.  
  
"That's the whole point. We didn't say anything. We should of thought about how Sam would have had reacted. She expects us to be there for her no matter where the world takes her. You know that she takes our friendship and trust more seriously than any of us do." Roberta said.  
  
Teeny played with her fingers nervously. She didn't want to loose Samantha. She knew how it felt and she never wanted that feeling to come back.  
  
"So, are we just going to let her ignore us?" Chrissy asked, sounding like she needed something to eat.  
  
"I say we let her come to us. Not because she should bow down to us or anything." Roberta started.  
  
"Because that would make her feel worse." Teeny said making a point.  
  
"Right. Just to let her have some time to think. Maybe she needs that."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Samantha sat at her desk reading and re-reading the letter she had received from Natalie Harper. She thought about it and thought even more about why Teeny, Roberta, and Chrissy had reacted the way they did. She took into consideration the fact that maybe this information came too fast, too soon, and way too unexpected. She never thought that maybe it would be hard on them if she did stay in New York. But, it wasn't like she was going to stay in New York. She just wanted to go for those three weeks. But, a lot can happen in three weeks and a person's mind can change only so fast. Who knew what there was in New York for Samantha? There could be more there for her than she would have anywhere in Shelby, Indiana.  
  
"I hate having to say sorry." Samantha said to herself.  
  
She knew that she had to say sorry to them because she had overreacted.  
  
"Samantha." A soft voice called from behind her. Samantha turned around to see Angela, her younger sister at the door.  
  
She smiled. "Hey, Angi."  
  
"Are you going to go away Samantha?" Angela asked.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
The next day at school Roberta, Teeny, and Chrissy were all talking about other approaches to how to deal with Samantha when suddenly she came and sat down with them.  
  
"Sam." Teeny started.  
  
"It's okay Teeny. You don't have to apologize. It's my fault." Samantha said, her eyes looking down at her hands.  
  
Teeny felt like it was her duty to be the good friend and say something to make her feel better just for the heck of it. Just like in the movies. But, she held back, realizing that this wasn't the right moment.  
  
"I'm sorry I walked away from you guys and ignored you yesterday. I never meant to overreact. I just, supposed that maybe you guys didn't want me to go or didn't want to go with me or even didn't want me to fulfill my dreams. I know how much you guys care about me and my writing and I shouldn't of had acted how I did." Samantha knew that her words were dumb and pathetic but at least she had said something. She felt relived that it was all out.  
  
"You know we care about you and your writing, Sam." Teeny said. "And we're going to New York with you."  
  
Samantha remembered how awesome her friends were and looked up at them unafraid and in disbelief.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Yeah. We asked our parents and all and they said it was no problem that we could go." Roberta said.  
  
"Amazing I got through with it. I thought my mom was about to burst and give me another one or those sex plant lectures." Chrissy said her face askew.  
  
"Why would she bring that up? It's completely opposite than going to New York with friends." Roberta asked laughing.  
  
"Don't know. She just does sometimes out of nowhere." Chrissy said.  
  
They all laughed at Chrissy as she gave them a sour expression.  
  
"Thanks you guys." Samantha said. "I don't think I'd be able to do it without you."  
  
"No problem." Roberta said. She and Chrissy got up and started walking to class.  
  
Teeny turned to Samantha and without saying anything they both held hands, their bracelets touching in resemblance of an everlasting friendship. 


End file.
